I've used plastic tape, masking tape, and probably a few other kinds. I would not recommend duct tape or transparent tape, but just about any kind that won't easily tear or bleed adhesive should be OK.

Masking tape. The blue painter's type. Sticks like crazy and peels right off to reuse the spindle.

I love bulk loading! I can now load casettes with what ever length I please; six, ten, twelve frames...much more versatile. When I want to switch films, I don't have to wait to finish off a roll of thirty six.

I ran out of the "white" masking and started using the blue one a couple of weeks ago.
Very good stuff actually as Joey says.

One thing to consider is that you need to have enough tape to prevent the film from getting loose when you try winding that last frame, and you have to be careful doing it. In cameras with motor it would be worth a try sticking it to both sides.

Originally Posted by joeyk49

Masking tape. The blue painter's type. Sticks like crazy and peels right off to reuse the spindle.

I love bulk loading! I can now load casettes with what ever length I please; six, ten, twelve frames...much more versatile. When I want to switch films, I don't have to wait to finish off a roll of thirty six.

Do you have a bulk loader??? Which kind?
I have a cheap Lloyd Bulk Loader that I have used for years and years and years.

Last edited by titrisol; 04-14-2005 at 07:22 AM. Click to view previous post history.

I've been using one inch wide, high quality auto paint grade masking tape (automotive paint stores carry it, including the larger NAPA outlets). The roll cost about eight bucks, but I figure it should last until around 2014 at the rate I use 35 mm film (maybe longer, as my consumption has been dropping with my trend toward larger negatives). The one inch size conveniently fits between the perfs on 35 mm film, and gives lots of contact area for a good grab. I wrap it around the spindle so it sticks to both sides of the film, and try to keep the contact short enough it doesn't pull out through the cassette velvet (though it doesn't seem to do any harm if it does).

One important thing to watch with bulk loaded film -- unless you load the film in total darkness, there's an exposed tail on each roll of 2-3 frames, which is long enough that if you routinely shoot until the film won't advance, your last 1-2 shots will be on the exposed tail. Also, you need to account for that tail and the leader exposed in loading when you determine how much film to load; I've found 43 clicks of the loader gives me a reliable 36 frames between the leader and exposed tail, and I still get 18 rolls of 36 and a short one (about 14 usable frames) from a one hundred foot bulk roll.

Photography has always fascinated me -- as a child, simply for the magic of capturing an image onto glossy paper with a little box, but as an adult because of the unique juxtaposition of science and art -- the physics of optics, the mechanics of the camera, the chemistry of film and developer, alongside the art in seeing, composing, exposing, processing and printing.

It may seem obvious but when you attach the film to the spool make sure it is straight and not canted one way or the other. If its a little off it will rub against one side of the spool creating friction as it feeds into the camera. Not a huge deal with manual wind cameras but with modern slrs that have auto rewind the friction could cause it to rewind midroll due to the sensor thinking the roll is finished. I found this out the hard way when I first started bulk loading and had this scenario happen a couple times in my Canon.